Agenda item

Purpose of report: To provide the Select Committee with an opportunity to scrutinise the Future Bus Network and Local Bus Service Investment report being presented to Cabinet on 28 March 2023.

Witnesses:

• Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth
• Katie Stewart, Executive Director for Environment Transport and Infrastructure
• Lucy Monie, Director, Highways and Transport
• Paul Millin, Assistant Director, Strategic Transport

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. The Chairman queried the councils capital and revenue spending on buses in the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportconfirmed that the revenue budget for 2022/23 was £10.5 million and the budget for 2023/24 was £12.2 million adding that Cabinet had agreed budget and pipeline funding at £49 million to support investment initiatives.

2. The Chairman asked if residents expect this financial commitment to bus services in Surrey to continue. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growthgave reassurances that bus services and improvements to public transport were a priority for the council.

3. A Member queried the lessons learnt from the Mole Valley Connect Scheme, Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT) pilot and asked if residents not digitally aware would be deterred from using the service. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transport confirmed that telephone bookings would continue alongside online and app booking. Lessons learnt included the understanding that school journeys could not be provided as vehicles were tied up for significant parts of the day resulting in a reduction in availability for residents and the original electric vehicles could now longer cope with the daily mileage, which has increased throughout the day due to greater ridership, requiring their replacement.

4. A Member asked if the DDRT would be council run or commercially operated services. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportexplained that the DDRT services would be going to tender in April for services to start in September 2023, ideally with the aim of one or two contractors to provide a range of DDRT services with the ability to combine high levels of quality in delivery and control.

5. A Member noted that Stagecoach bus drivers had been advising users of the 17 and 520 bus services that the route would be cut from September 2023 and sought reassurances that the council would provide clear communications about the change of services to residents. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportcommitted to raise the issue of drivers giving incorrect information with Stagecoach senior managers and said that information about the proposed changes to services would be provided to local Members, with an early briefing planned post Cabinet.

6. A Member said that residents needed a clear explanation of the DDRT service. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportagreed and noted that as demand increased going forward, the service may evolve to a corner to corner service, rather than a home to destination service to improve service efficiency.

7. A Member asked how the five areas of priority noted in paragraph 21 of the report had been identified and what were the improvements planned in these areas and their timescales. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transport explained that the five areas had been identified by considering where passenger growth could be maximised as referenced in the National Bus Strategy published in March 2020. The Member queried if the consultation had reaffirmed the five areas of priority. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportconfirmed that 70 per cent of residents agreed with the investment in the priority areas.

8. A Member asked what proportion of the revenue and capital expenditures over the next two years would be spent on DDRT services as opposed to normal bus services. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportsaid that approximately £700,000 would be spent on the cost of DDRT services in a full financial year.

9. A Member asked if there was a charge for DDRT. PM confirmed the charge was currently £2.

10. A Member questioned how services provided by the Council related to district and borough services such as Woking Bustler. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportsaid that the Council had an excellent working relationship with Woking Bustler and plans were underway to work more closely and invest with them to grow their business and provide additional opportunities to both parties going forward.

11. A Member asked if the reduction of services noted in Annex E of the report were likely to be reconsidered and if not, what were the mitigations around these measures. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportsaid that not all the routes would result in service withdrawals and explained that plans to refine 11 of the 24 poorly performing services shared to the public consultation were required due to the financial implications of low patronage. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transport noted the commitment to work with residents affected by the changes through Members, district and boroughs, parishes and town councils to promote alternatives such as affiliated and non-affiliated voluntary car schemes. The Chairman was concerned that the areas in question were key neighbourhoods in areas of deprivation in Surrey. A Member urged that additional mitigations be put in place to ensure that no one is left behind. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transport undertook to reconsider the 11 services proposed. (Action: Assistant Director, Strategic Transport)

12. A Member noted concerns about the Tattenham Corner school bus service cessation. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportexplained that the company operating the Tattenham Corner and Preston school bus services commercially had said that the services were no longer commercially viable. As a result, another operator had been persuaded to pick up one of the services and the second service was going to tender.

13. A Member asked what the financial savings of would be implementing the changes. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportsaid that there would be no savings as anyadditional money input would cover tender increases.

14. A Member asked if the council could run its own service. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportsaid that this would be a huge undertaking and it was unlikely that the council could achieve a more efficient or cost effective service with requirements for a suitable depot and the purchasing of vehicles to be considered.

15. A Member asked if the changes happening to services would be promoted on buses. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportconfirmed that briefings regarding the changes would be provided to all Members going forward.

16. A Member questioned if the negative impact to those with disabilities would be analysed further. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportacknowledged the obligation to consider residents with disabilities and noted the East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership and the Woking Bustler service as examples of the provision of different services for those unable to access public transport and committed to look again at the 11 service areas in relation to the negative impact on residents with disabilities. The Member asked if residents with disabilities would be consulted. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transport said that organisations such as Sight for Surrey and the Surrey Coalition of Disabled People had been consulted and were aware of the proposals. The Member asked if information could be provided to confirm the date of the consultation with Sight for Surrey. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transport agreed to provide the information directly to the Member. (Action: Assistant Director, Strategic Transport)

17. A Member asked how much the council would be involved in promoting the ‘20 and Under Half Fare Concessionary Scheme’. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transport said that the council would share the news through social media channels and the communication plan for this was being developed. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth added that the Surrey Youth Cabinet had provided positive feedback about the DDRT and the concessionary scheme. The Member asked if feedback could be provided to the committee regarding the success of the DDRT and ‘20 and Under Half Fare Concessionary Scheme’ at an appropriate time. The Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growthagreed to provide the committee with an update.

18. A Member queried if the Department for Transport (DfT) would require the DDRT service to be financially sustainable. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportsaid that the council would report back to the DfT, including a refreshed Bus Service Improvement Plan, with the DDRT included as a registered local bus service.

19. A Member asked what the vision for bus services in the future was. The Assistant Director, Strategic Transportnoted zero missions and a successful ‘20 and Under Half Fare Concessionary Scheme’ leading to more residents using public transport.

Resolved:

The Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee:

1. Welcomes the proposed increased investment to stimulate passenger figures in a number of areas and particularly supports the new ‘20 and Under Half Fare Concessionary Scheme’.

2. Endorses the roll-out of new Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT) services to new areas, but with an expectation that this be accompanied by effective and timely communications to residents affected who may be less digitally aware.

3. Is concerned at the findings of Bus Service Improvement Programme Route Analysis (Annex E of the report) that seven very underprivileged areas – Key Neighbourhoods – will be severely affected by these changes, which runs counter to Surrey’s declared ‘No one left behind’ ambitions. The Committee urges consideration of effective mitigation measures.